We can’t get enough of gadgets. These companion devices make our lives easier or more entertaining. However, gadget has an ambiguous definition and depends on the context. Even a smartphone is sometimes referred to as a gadget.
Therefore, for this list, we decided that anything that isn’t a smartphone or a tablet can be considered a gadget. Hence, that’s the reason why you will find some odd categories here. But let’s not get bogged down by the definition of gadget and focus on the products that stood out in their class.
To help you buy the best gadget that fits your budget and needs, the tech experts at SoyaCincau.com, consisting of Alex, Hanif, Chapree, Putra, Sam, Aisyah, and Duke, have curated a list of the best gadgets released in 2024 and awarded them Gold, Silver, or Bronze.
Naturally, we had to define some parameters to help narrow down our nominees. Therefore, only models launched between 20th November 2023 and 1st November 2024 were considered. Additionally, nominated gadgets had to be still on sale and available to purchase, so any limited edition or one-off models were disqualified.
Now without further ado, we present, SoyaCincau Awards 2024: The Best Gadgets of the Year:
- Laptop of the Year
- Gaming Device of the Year
- Smartwatch of the Year
- Headphone of the Year
- Gadget of the Year
Read the rest of our awards
Once you’re done reading this list, check out our other curations for SoyaCincau Awards 2024!
- The Best Phones of the Year
- The Best Tablets of the Year
- The Best EV of the Year (Coming Soon)
- The Best Telco of the Year (Coming Soon)
- The Best and Worst in Tech (Coming Soon)
Laptop of the Year
Bronze: Asus Zenbook 14 OLED (Intel)
Let’s cut to the chase, the reason why we picked the Asus Zenbook 14 OLED as the Bronze medalist for our Laptop of the Year category is because it is one of the best productivity laptops we’ve tried this year, regardless of platforms.
Firstly and probably most importantly, it’s got a rather decent battery life, capable of lasting us the whole day, and even leaving enough juice for some YouTube and Netflix sessions after a full day’s shift. In fact, it’s one of the closest performers to the super efficient MacBook Air on the Windows camp.
This is most probably thanks to the Intel Core Ultra processors it’s powered by which runs much more efficiently than its preceding chipsets.
Also crucial with any, and we mean ANY productivity laptops is the I/O ports they offer. This one comes with an array of USB-C, Thunderbolt 4, HDMI, 3.5mm audio, and even USB-A ports, making it a practical productivity laptop.
And oh, as its name suggests, the 14-inch OLED display the Asus Zenbook 14 OLED comes with, specifically a panel 2880 x 1800p unit laid out in a 16:10 aspect ratio, is just the icing on the cake.
If you’re used to the typical IPS LCD panels on your laptops, including MacBooks, the vibrancy and true deep blacks this OLED panel offers will surely impress you.
Check out the Asus Zenbook 14 OLED (Intel) on Shopee and Lazada.
Silver: Asus Vivobook S 15 OLED
The Asus Vivobook S 15 OLED is the first laptop to be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite chip. Among other laptops with the same chipset, the Vivobook S 15 OLED stands out as it uses the IceCool thermal technology.
This allows the SoC to operate at 45W, translating to 31% higher performance than competitor models. This laptop also achieved a higher benchmark score than the M3-powered MacBook Air 15.
However, that’s still not the best part of this machine. That honour is reserved for its battery life. One of our team members used this laptop as his daily driver and it lasted him three days.
It’s rare to find Windows laptops with such long battery life. If that’s not enough for you, the Asus Vivobook S15 can support battery inputs of between 5 and 20V. Charging the laptop can even be done using a powerbank, but we recommend using one that outputs at least 90W to ensure that the power input it greater than the power that’s being utilised.
One more thing that made us attracted to the Asus Vivobook S15 is despite it sporting a 15-inch display, its size feels more like a 14-inch, thanks to its thin bezels. Speaking of the display, it’s a 3K OLED panel that sports a 120Hz smooth refresh rate.
All in all, the Asus Vivobook S 15 OLED is not only powerful but also has a long battery life, an OLED screen, along with a “luxurious” array of I/O ports, making it deserving of the Silver medal in the Laptop of the Year category. By the way, if you’re interested in getting one, just letting you know that it can be had for RM6,299.
Check out the Asus Vivobook S 15 OLED on Shopee and Lazada.
Gold: Asus ZenBook Duo
While the dual-screen concept of the Asus ZenBook Duo might come across as a gimmick at first glance, we strongly recommend you experience it first. Because once we had a taste of its versatility in a relatively portable form factor, we were sold. The reason why many people have a multi-monitor set-up is that it provides a seamless multitasking experience.
So imagine being able to take that experience with you anywhere you go with the ZenBook Duo. You feel tasks become easier, work becomes more productive, and you become more efficient. Thanks to the built-in kickstand, you can adjust the angle of the displays to find the ideal angle. But Asus didn’t just slap an additional screen and called it a day.
Those are dual 14-inch 3K OLED with a 120 Hz refresh rate and powered by an Intel Core Ultra 9 Processor 155H in our model. Asus also added its own software on top of Windows to smoothen the dual-screen experience like quickly snapping apps to different sections of the displays or swapping apps between the displays.
We’ll admit – the retail price of RM11,099 is a tough pill to swallow given there’s no discrete GPU available. That being said, we feel that the impact of the ZenBook Duo on productivity is worth its weight in gold.
Check out the Asus ZenBook Duo on Shopee and Lazada.
Gaming Device of the Year
Bronze: Pico 4 Ultra
Priced at RM2,799, the Pico 4 Ultra delivers an impressive virtual reality experience without stretching your budget. As a standalone VR headset that doesn’t require a high-powered computer, it’s a versatile device suitable for both productivity and entertainment.
Our team has been using it to play sports games on All-in-Sport VR — breaking a sweat and embracing a healthier lifestyle without even leaving the office. After gaming, the headset’s dual screens transform into a virtual workspace, offering a smooth 90Hz refresh rate. Powered by the cutting-edge Qualcomm Snapdragon CR2 Gen 2 processor, the most advanced SoC for VR headsets, it handles tasks seamlessly.
Check out the Pico 4 Ultra on Shopee and Lazada.
Silver: Asus ROG Swift OLED PG32UCDM
This was a tough decision to make as the Asus ROG Swift OLED and Samsung Odyssey OLED G8 are closely matched. But in the end, we decided to go with the Asus ROG Swift OLED because of a few key advantages.
It has a higher fullscreen brightness and peak HDR brightness so your games will look nice and vibrant even in a bright room. Next up, Asus provides a screw thread at the top of the stand, allowing you to easily attach accessories like a streaming camera or lights.
A nice touch is the USB C port on the ROG Swift OLED which supports up to 90W USB PD output and Display Port, so you only need a single cable to connect your laptop to the monitor.
As we said, the difference between both models is narrow. However, we feel that the extra features of the ROG Swift OLED offer more practicality.
Check out the Asus ROG Swift OLED PG32UCDM on Shopee and Lazada.
Gold: Asus ROG Ally X
We consider the ROG Ally a revolutionary step in handheld gaming consoles running the Windows operating system. While devices like the Steam Deck and other similar options have been around for a while, Asus has successfully brought this gaming gadget into the mainstream.
The already impressive ROG Ally has been further enhanced with the new ROG Ally X. It now boasts a battery that’s twice as large, translating to significantly longer gaming sessions. The RAM has been upgraded to 24GB, utilizing faster modules. On top of that, it features a new joystick module and a more durable D-pad.
Listening to feedback from gamers, Asus has also added another USB port with Thunderbolt 4 support. This not only enhances the iGPU’s capabilities but also allows for additional accessories.
For these reasons, we’ve crowned the ROG Ally X as the gold standard in handheld gaming.
Check out the Asus ROG Ally X on Shopee and Lazada.
Smartwatch of the Year
Bronze: Huawei Watch GT 5 Pro
The Huawei Watch GT5 Pro might not pack as many smart features as your typical Apple Watch or Galaxy Watch does here in Malaysia, but it does have one advantage that actually matters to most people out there – battery life.
Even with Always-On Display, along with all of its health features like the heart rate, blood oxygen, ECG, and skin temperature sensors turned on 24/7, it can still last up to a week. That’s a far cry from the 1 to 2 days of battery life the Apple and Google Pixel watches offer.
Also, if you’re looking for a smartwatch that looks, well, smart, the Huawei Watch GT5 Pro fits that bill very well, featuring a dressy design that somewhat reminds us of the Tag Heuer Carrera series.
Did we not mention that the Huawei Watch GT5 Pro is the only watch in this list that works with both Android and iOS? Talking about being the “peacemaker”.
But of course, the excellent battery life mentioned above is made possible due to the lack of more advanced features such as third-party app support, and payment apps like Google Pay, as well as a handy voice assistant. This is also why we had to rank the Huawei Watch GT5 Pro below the Apple Watch Series 10 and Google Pixel Watch 3. After all, it’s competing to be the best smartwatch, right?
Check out the Huawei Watch GT 5 Pro on Shopee and Lazada.
Silver: Google Pixel Watch 3 45mm
Let’s face it, the first-gen Google Pixel Watch was not exactly a success. However, the company learnt its lessons very quickly and gave us a much more mature and dependable smartwatch with the Pixel Watch 2. However, one issue persisted, and it’s an utterly important one – battery life.
Once again, Google understood its assignment and brought us a solution, in the form of the Google Pixel Watch 3, specifically with the larger 45mm model, a first for the company which only offered its first two generations of watches with a sole 41mm case size option.
Even with its Always-On Display function switched on, the 45mm Google Pixel Watch 3 comfortably lasted for two whole days. This combined with its solid smartwatch and fitness tracking capabilities, makes it one of the best full-fledged smartwatches for Android users out there. For that, we think it deserves its spot as the second-best smartwatch for the year 2024.
Check out the Google Pixel Watch 3 45mm on Shopee and Lazada.
Gold: Apple Watch Series 10
I remember searching for the “perfect” wearable device about a decade ago that could deliver both smartwatch and fitness tracking features well. But in reality, they usually excelled in one and flop in the other.
Despite still being far from perfect, the Apple Watch became that wearable device, at least from the Series 2 model onwards (the OG Apple Watch was a disaster).
And what makes the Apple Watch Series 10 the gold medalist of our Smartwatch of the Year category this year is not just because it does smartwatch and health and fitness features well, it also does so reliably.
Never have I ever encountered my Apple Watch being disconnected from my iPhone for no reason, and connecting both devices is also an automated process as I never needed to go to my phone’s settings to connect to the watch.
The dependability on top of the Apple Watch Series 10’s excellent health and fitness tracking capabilities, which is now further enhanced with the addition of sleep apnea detection, makes the Apple Watch Series 10 the champion of the SoyaCincau Awards 2024 Smartwatch of the Year category.
Still, it would be awesome if Apple could make its smartwatch compatible with Android, although we clearly know this most probably will never happen.
Check out the Apple Watch Series 10 on Shopee and Lazada.
Headphone of the Year
Bronze: AirPods 4 with ANC
The first reaction most of us had at the SoyaCincau office when we first put on the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) was “wow”. That’s because, despite its open-style design, the ANC level it delivered is way beyond what we expected.
Even one of our colleagues who daily a first-gen AirPods Pro said that the AirPods 4 with ANC cancels out more noise comparatively. Remember that the AirPods Pro are in-ear earbuds!
Like with other AirPods, the AirPods 4 with ANC delivers pretty decent clean and balanced audio. They’re by no means the best in sound quality even when compared to its similarly-priced competitors, but are more than enough for most of us out there who do not have golden ears.
At the end of the day, the oddly named AirPods 4 with ANC are far from the perfect earbuds. However, the ANC capabilities it brings to the table, on top of the way it seamlessly works with other Apple products, make it one of the most impressive true wireless earbuds we’ve tried out this year.
Check out the AirPods 4 with ANC on Shopee and Lazada.
Silver: CMF Buds Pro 2
CMF’s audio products may fall under the budget earbud category compared to Nothing’s audio line, but what the CMF Buds Pro 2 offers is genuinely surprising—in the best way possible.
The audio quality of the CMF Buds Pro 2 is impressive, delivering punchy bass and clear reproduction of vocals and instruments. While the bass isn’t overly tight and can occasionally sound slightly muddy, considering the price point, the overall audio performance is highly satisfactory.
But it’s not just the sound that stands out. The active noise cancellation (ANC) on the CMF Buds Pro 2 works exceptionally well, effectively blocking out external noise. The microphones also provide clear call quality. The earbuds are comfortable to wear and come with an IP55 water-resistance rating, making them suitable for workouts.
One of the standout features of the CMF Buds Pro 2 is its unique charging case design, which includes a rotating dial. This isn’t just a gimmick—it doubles as a functional control for the earbuds, making them easier to use while also giving the case a distinctive look.
By delivering remarkable audio quality and ANC performance at an affordable price, CMF has created a standout product in the CMF Buds Pro 2. For this reason, we’ve awarded it the silver medal in this year’s headphone category.
Check out the CMF Buds Pro 2 on Shopee and Lazada.
Gold: Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro
When Samsung revealed the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, we were a little disappointed that the company abandoned the unique bean-shaped design of its predecessors for a more generic stalk design like Apple’s AirPods. However, we understand that the stalk design is the more ergonomic option.
Design aside, the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro is equipped with an enhanced 2-way speaker system featuring a planar tweeter and dual amp, delivering high-fidelity sound with minimal distortion. Battery life is impressive, offering up to 6 hours with ANC on and the charging case provides additional charges, extending the total playback time to 26 hours with ANC.
One of the standout features of the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro is its adaptive noise control, powered by Galaxy AI, which adjusts to your environment for optimal noise cancellation. Additional features include Live Translate and Adaptive EQ, providing personalized sound and convenient real-time translations respectively.
Despite requiring a Galaxy device to unlock most of the software features, the Galaxy Werables app for Android allows you to access all supported functions on any device. Once you sum up all its strengths, it ultimately secures the top spot on this list.
Check out the Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro on Shopee and Lazada.
Gadget of the Year
Bronze: Pico 4 Ultra
We’ve named the Pico 4 Ultra as our Bronze winner for Gadget of the Year for several reasons. First, VR headsets are rarely upgraded as frequently as smartphones, which see annual updates. The original Pico 4 was launched back in 2022, making this new iteration a noteworthy improvement.
Second, the product is now officially available in Malaysia, complete with after-sales support from the brand itself. This means anyone curious about experiencing virtual reality can purchase it with confidence. In comparison, while the Meta Quest offers a headset with similar specifications, it’s only available as an import. Warranty coverage is limited to the seller, and any issues require sending the device overseas to its original point of purchase.
Third, the price point is highly accessible. At just RM2,799, the Pico 4 Ultra isn’t just for gaming—it’s also a capable tool for productivity.
Check out the Pico 4 Ultra on Shopee and Lazada.
Silver: Hyundai Ioniq 5 N
You might be wondering if we listed the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N as the silver medalist for the Gadgets of the Year category by accident. No, we did not, as it is one of the most interesting and fun gadgets we’ve seen this year.
Aside from being a powerful hot SUV/hatchback, making 609hp and 740Nm of torque via its dual motor AWD setup, the Ioniq 5 N can also do fun things such as simulating the sound of a 2.0-litre turbo engine like a gasoline-powered hot hatch, pops and bangs, and clutch kicks.
It even comes with shifting jolts as if it has an 8-speed dual-clutch transmission (DCT) underneath its hood.
Aside from this, the Ioniq 5 N packs a bunch of performance features for you to play with, including N Drift Optimizer, N Torque Distribution, N Launch Control, and M Grin Boost.
Gold: Asus ZenBook Duo
Asus ZenBook Duo?! Gadget of the Year 2024? GADGET? Well, if you think about it, a gadget allows you to perform a given function easily. So by that definition, the ZenBook Duo’s form factor unlocks numerous functions that are executed easily.
Need to discuss a document with a client? Just open the laptop flat and mirror the document on both displays. Need a larger display for your presentation, stretch the content across both displays, giving you a 19.8-inch size to work with. Asus has even provided custom software that will turn the bottom screen into a digital control board, complete with dials, sliders, and buttons to interact with supported apps.
Moreover, you can plug your other tech gadgets into this laptop, making it a central hub. And just like any gadget, it’s portable, allowing you to take all these functions anywhere.
So when you look at the ZenBook Duo from this perspective, it truly is one of the most interesting and impressive gadgets of 2024.
Check out the Asus Zenbook Duo on Shopee and Lazada.
Conclusion
Choosing three gadgets for each category was much harder than selecting smartphones or tablets, just because of their sheer number. But we placed our favourites into the ring and stood beside them. For 2024, we can say that Asus dominated the laptop category and took gold for Gadget of the Year because despite commanding a premium over their competition, they won out in areas in which money has less effect, such as design and appeal.
For the first time in SoyaCincau Awards, Samsung failed to capture a spot in the top 3 for Smartwatch of the Year, giving way to newcomers like Huawei and Google. By giving up its signature rotating bezel, we feel that the Galaxy Watch 7 is just another smartwatch. That said, Samsung still retained its crown in Headphone of the Year and the same can be said for the ROG Ally in Gaming Device of the Year.
What do you think about our winners? Do you agree with our selection or do you think we choose wrongly? Let us know in the comments and don’t forget to check out the rest of our SoyaCincau Award winners.
